Leeds eye crucial scalp of the Pirates

Leeds Carnegie have had two weeks to let the disappointment of defeat to bottom-club Doncaster fester and know that nothing short of a victory tomorrow against Cornish Pirates will ease their pain.

Leeds welcome the Pirates to Otley in what is effectively an eight-pointer between the top-four rivals.

Sixth-placed Leeds are level on points with the Cornwall side but below them on the deciding factor of games won.

The two are just a point adrift of Bristol who occupy the fourth and final play-off place.

“That loss at Doncaster was bitterly disappointing, especially as it came on the back of one of our best performances of the season against Newcastle,” said head coach Diccon Edwards.

“The week off last week was a good opportunity for us to address the issues from the Knights’ game and focus on what we have ahead of us in a vital period of the season.

“We’re ready for the next six games.

“We’re a quality team when we perform to the levels we’re capable of, and that’s the mental challenge for us.

“We’re not taking anything lightly and the players have reacted in the right way.”

Leeds, who have lost their last two, were beaten 21-8 by Pirates at Mennaye Field in October.

“We were still developing as a team then and the mistakes were punished, but through the course of the season we’ve improved that,” said Edwards.

“The Pirates have recovered remarkably well since a tough start and as per usual, are pushing hard for the play-off places. I am sure we will be in for another tough battle. We are a more ruthless team now and we will certainly need to make the most of any chances we get on Sunday.

“It’s a game with a huge significance, but there’s still lots of games to go with a lot of connotations. We need to put a performance in because wins come through performance.”

Mike Mysercough is out with a knee injury and Dominic Barrow is unavailable due to England Under-18s commitments.